Tag: holidays

Meet Kate Talbot: Successful Author, Content Creator, and Digital Strategist… and an UrbanSitter Babysitter!

Kate Talbot has built her successful career by using digital storytelling to empower communities at brands like Kiva and Virgin America, as well as scale early-stage startups for growth. In her free time, she writes for online publications like Social Media Examiner and KISSmetrics, educating small business owners and entrepreneurs on how to successfully use millennial social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat to build their brands. Recently, she published a book on the topic of Snapchat Marketing. Of course, like any city girl she was at the Dry Bar downtown on a recent Monday morning getting glam for an important event and ran into UrbanSitter CEO Lynn Perkins (whom she babysat for years back) and they got to chatting…

Here, Kate shares with us her experiences with UrbanSitter, what it’s been like having written a successful book, and more insight into her career and life.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you know UrbanSitter CEO and Co-Founder, Lynn?
For me, I am all about the side hustle. SF is expensive and any avenue in which you can use technology to create multiple revenue streams is important. My girlfriends and I (as many of us) have babysat since our tween years, and after business school in 2012 we all signed up for UrbanSitter. This was a great way to supplement our job incomes off the bat.

I learned from my friend Lisa, who is a babysitting all-star, that the best way to build your babysitting profile is to reply to jobs right away and babysit on a Saturday night. From doing so, I ended up replying fast to a query and booked a job during the 2013 holiday season for Lynn. I had a wonderful time babysitting for her son and she was highly supportive of my own story and helping me succeed. We connected on LinkedIn, and I always loved following all the news about UrbanSitter; especially this amazing feature in the First Round Review on Lynn and UrbanSitter.

As fate happens, I ended up running marketing for a First Round Capital company—which also funds UrbanSitter—so at a dinner roundtable I met Daisy [Downs, Co-Founder of UrbanSitter] too! I let the other attendees know that even though I was in the tech space, I also was an UrbanSitter babysitter, which delighted everyone.

You mentioned going to business school, where did you study?
I went to the University of San Francisco, where I focused on Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

I grew up in Moraga in the East Bay —I have lived in New York City, too—but I knew I wanted to be in the Bay Area long-term. My dad and brother both went to USF for law school, so I knew I’d be getting a great education.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re doing now?
I have my own consulting firm where I lead growth marketing for early stage startups—whether that’s influencer marketing tools or cybersecurity technology—it really runs the gamut but I love it all.

I also write on the side. I do that because it’s a passion of mine.

In fact, when I babysat I am able to write when the kids are asleep. One of my favorite articles I wrote on Snapchat was written in a Pacific Heights apartment overlooking the Bay, while babysitting for a great family.

You just wrote and published a book about Snapchat, what was the process like?
I combined the writing which was already published on the topic and leveraged my community. I’m extremely fortunate to have contacts across all industries at big brands and media entities, and they were able to provide case study insights into their own execution of the platform. My mentor, a VC from Onset Ventures, who encouraged me to write the book, wrote the foreword about the future of enterprise marketing and Snapchat.

I also mentor at Stanford for an undergraduate course in media and technology. From this class, I was able to hire a recent graduate to design all the creative assets. That was probably my favorite part, because we had so much fun thinking outside the box and what would help the audience understand the platform from a visual perspective.

What interested you about Snapchat enough to write about it ?
I’ve always been really in tune with the millennial, and now Gen Y, audience on what the next trends will be. As a user myself and talking with my 22-year-old god-sister and her friends, I realized the power of Snapchat as an authentic way of telling stories and connecting with friends. Since I’d already been writing about social media for Social Media Examiner, I pitched the topic of Snapchat for Business. I was one of the first writers to do so, and it’s led to amazing opportunities speaking at business schools and conferences. I figured next steps, why not write a book!

What has the reception been like for your book?
It did amazingly well! I felt so thankful for my community that downloaded it. During the 5-day free promotion, it went to the #2 spot in all of Business Marketing and Sales on Amazon. It was also #1 on Amazon for Advertising and Professional Development and #1 on Product Hunt books.

To wrap up: If you could give advice to sitters using the service, what would it be?
My advice would be to think of your profile as a personal brand. Fill out your profile in the best light possible. Also, remember parents are really looking forward to their date night or event they are off to, so be as professional as possible and always make sure you are doing your best! I know it can be tough sometimes, but keep trying to babysit more and more even if you get overwhelmed.

Babysitting in SF is a great way to explore the different neighborhoods—I didn’t know about all the parks that were out there—and connect with the families! If I hadn’t followed up with Lynn, I wouldn’t be in this position. You never know what will happen!

You can pick up a copy of Kate’s book, Oh, Snap! You Can Use Snapchat for Business, on Amazon, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and see more of her work on her website at http://www.katetalbot.me/.

The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Babysitters and Nannies

Whatever do you give to the person who takes care of your children? While cold hard cash is always appreciated, it’s nice to also show your gratitude with a personal gift to go along with it. To help you choose something special, we’ve rounded up our favorite holiday gift ideas for nannies and babysitters, including something to fit every budget and taste.

Show her you care enough to have noticed her good taste. Hex Hoop Earrings, $78-$248 via Alexis Russell Design.

For the bookworm, a set of classics that is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression. Jane Austen Set, $225 via Juniper Books.

A hat makes for a toasty token of a gift. Embellished Beanie, $30 via TopShop.

An awesome, lightweight, portable and wireless speaker that turns any job into a dance party. Beats Pill, $299.95 via Beats by Dre.

An interior design aficionado will appreciate a little flair for her home. Jonathan Adler Letter Pillow, $124.99 via Bloomingdales.

These shiny vases are right on trend and kind to your budget, too. Ombre Mercury Vases, starting at $29 via West Elm.

A tasty DIY you can create with the kids provides a homemade treat with a personal touch. Homemade Nutella Truffles via Deliciously Yum.

For more great gift ideas for the special sitter or nanny in your life, check out our Pinterest board. The lucky woman who saves your sanity will be glad you did!

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A Parent’s Guide to a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

Preparing a holiday feast can be stressful for anyone, but for parents of young children it can get really hairy. If you’re charged with hosting Thanksgiving this year and are wondering how you’ll pull off a delicious meal, a clean house and content, well behaved children, read on for tips on how to make it happen. We guarantee you can do it without losing your sanity or your sleep.

Plan a family-friendly meal.

Thanksgiving dinner may be the biggest meal of the year. Don’t make it harder on yourself by preparing separate dishes for finicky, young eaters. Your kids may not be game for a complicated oyster stuffing, but they’ll likely devour fuss-free dishes, such as mashed potatoes, green beans and hot buttered rolls, that the adults at the table will enjoy just as much. Everyone loves and appreciates simple, nostalgic comfort food. Make a meal of it, and leave the more sophisticated recipes for another day.

Be well prepared and start early.

It’s wildly stressful to fight crowds of last-minute shoppers, and even more so when you have grumpy kids in tow. Avoid last minute shopping by starting early with a thorough game plan for the meal that includes a detailed, aisle-by-aisle shopping list for everything you’ll need for the big day. Your list should include items you’ll need to prepare and serve the meal, as well as incidentals you’ll need to have well stocked, such as toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, light snacks and items for the bar. Hiring a sitter to take care of the kids while you focus at the grocery store and run errands without distraction will improve the odds against having to make multiple or last minute trips.

Choose your sweet spot and outsource the rest.

You could do it all, but why would you? Decide which aspects of the meal and preparation you enjoy the most and hire someone to do the rest. You can eliminate a lot of the stress and save time by hiring a service to thoroughly clean your house, even launder bedding for overnight guests and iron the tablecloth and napkins, so you need only stash toys before your guests arrive. Would it helpful to order a centerpiece for the table so there’s no need to remember to buy flowers and find the time to arrange? Of course, any part of the actual meal can be purchased and prepared, ready for you to simply reheat and plunk it into a pretty serving bowl at mealtime.

Enlist your kids’ help.

You may think that letting the kids help will only slow you down, but if you choose and assign jobs wisely and don’t wait until the last minute to do it, you’ll have extra help and entertained kids who are proud to be a part of the action. Assign your kids chores to help prepare for guests, such as putting away toys, cleaning their room, dusting, folding napkins, and helping to decorate and set the Thanksgiving table. Kids can also help with cooking, the tasks depending on their age. For instance, let older kids peel potatoes or slice carrots, and younger kids wash vegetables or put the bread in a basket. When guests arrive, ask your kids to welcome them and offer to take their coats.

Set a kids’ table.

You might love the idea of everyone piling around a big table, but your kids and your guests will enjoy the meal a whole lot more if you give the kids their own space. Your guests will appreciate a more peaceful meal while the kids will like having a little leeway and their own special table. Make it a fun spot by providing crayons for doodling and a healthy snack to munch while they’re waiting. Make it easy on yourself by setting their table with a disposable or easily washable tablecloth and break-proof dishes. Our Pinterest board Kids Table has lots of great ideas for making a fun, festive kids’ table, including cute turkey cups for holding crudités, printable placemats and pilgrim hat place markers.

Let your guests contribute.

Asking your guests to bring a dish they love to the meal benefits you, the menu and your guests. You’ll have less to shop for and prepare, and you’ll have a guarantee that your guests will have something they especially enjoy for the holiday. Avoid an overload of pies or a meal devoid of veggies by asking that each guest brings something from an assigned category, such as a side, dessert or beverage.

The most important tip for enjoying your holiday is to be okay with imperfection. It’s not about setting a table worthy of a magazine or serving a gourmet meal. It’s about gathering family and friends around your table to share and give thanks for a wonderful meal and a happy time together.

holidays parenting Thanksgiving

5 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Give Thanks

Giving thanks and helping others isn’t just for Thanksgiving Day. You can incorporate simple, daily ways to instill and cultivate in your kids a sense of gratitude and a readiness to help others throughout the year. Before the holidays throw you into a frenzy, adopt these 5 everyday ways to practice thankfulness in your house.

1. Make “thank you” mandatory
Kids need constant reminders before a desired action or response becomes automatic. Continue to remind your children to always say thank you and explain to them that the response is expected whenever necessary. Similarly, make writing thank you notes a mandatory part of receiving a gift or a way to express appreciation to anyone who has gone out of their way for them. Little kids who can’t yet write can benefit from talking about what they like about a gift and why it was thoughtful, and can help you create a note by adding a personal drawing or even signing their name to it.

2. Model grateful behavior
Show your kids, each and every day, that you are grateful by making it a point to express your gratitude in simple statements, such as “Look what a beautiful day it is!” or “We are so fortunate to be together today,” or “That was so nice of your babysitter to take you to the park.” Also remember to always say thank you to the people you and your children encounter throughout your day, including the checkout clerk at the grocery store and the mailman who brings your mail, rain or shine.

3. Give to others
Routinely giving to others provides opportunities to talk to your children about the needs of others and to instill and nurture their compassion and sense of giving back to their community. Have the kids help with grocery shopping by having them choose a few canned items to donate to a Thanksgiving food drive or a food bank, or choose personal care items to donate to a shelter. Prepare for the holidays by cleaning out closets and encouraging your children to donate toys they no longer use or clothes they’ve outgrown, explaining that they can make a difference by sharing.

4. Volunteer as a family
Volunteering teaches social responsibility and helps children develop empathy and a belief that one person can make a difference. Research from the United Way shows that volunteering can benefit a child’s psychological, social and intellectual development. What better way to spend time together as a family than by working together to help others in your community? There are ways to volunteer as a family including, but not at all limited to helping at food banks, shelters, environmental clean-ups and visits to the elderly or those who are hospitalized. Organizations such as Idealist or Volunteer Match can help match your family to a need in your community.

5. Create holiday traditions that show thanks
Holidays are a wonderful chance to show thankfulness. Creating holiday traditions around gratitude and giving ensures that your kids see the holidays as special for reasons beyond the commercial. Make kids part of Thanksgiving celebrations by having them share what they are thankful for, and make their own decorations to show thanks. A thoughtful project to do together is to create cards for your holiday guests that include a simple statement about why you are thankful for them. Take it a step further by showing your appreciation for those outside of your family, including teachers, sitters and your neighborhood police and firefighters. A wonderful tradition is to take a plate of homemade cookies to your local fire station each holiday season or to bring treats to a children’s hospital or nursing home.

According to the experts, showing gratitude is a critical factor to building compassion, empathy, and even to overall happiness. Grateful kids tend to be much more satisfied with their lives, do better in school, are less materialistic and less envious. As if you needed convincing that teaching your kids to feel and express gratitude benefits everyone involved!

holidays Thanksgiving volunteering

5 Easy, Hearty Dinners for Halloween Night

Halloween is no time to be fussing over dinner. You have costumes to assemble, kids to dress up, parties to attend and trick-or-treating to spearhead at home and on the street. Take the stress of “what’s for dinner?” off your plate. You can ensure that your kids have a warm, healthy meal to fuel them before the big night by planning and preparing a make-ahead meal. These five meals are just right for making in advance and heating and serving before the Halloween festivities begin.

Stuffed Shells with Spinach Ricotta: No jarred pasta sauce or processed cheese required, this recipe is just as simple without the shortcuts. The surprising combination of ricotta, lemon, cinnamon and basil makes it extra special, while keeping it kid-friendly. (via Blue Apron)

Spooky Ghost Pizza: Keep the kids busy before it’s time to get ready for trick-or-treating by having them help assemble this ghostly pizza. Keep it simple by asking the deli to slice thick slices of mozzarella and use a cookie cutter to turn the cheese into ghosts. Keep the pizza in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake it. (via Chef Mom)

Easy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese: Just right for a chilly night and spot on for Halloween. Thanks to the creamy, nutritious pumpkin, this is no ordinary mac and cheese. (via The Stir)

Slow Cooker Braised Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Cabbage Slaw: Need a little meat to fuel your fire? Throw a pork tenderloin in the crock pot for a deliciously simple pulled pork sandwich filling and add a fresh apple cabbage slaw for a balanced meal. (via Mom’s Kitchen Handbook)

Pasta e Fagioli Soup: This hearty soup is just right to have at the ready. Make a batch to keep in the refrigerator and reheat when it’s time to eat. (via Food52)

Pick one of these delicious, make-ahead meals for Halloween night, and you’ll feel good knowing your kids’ bellies are filled with warm, nutritious food before the onslaught of candy begins!

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5 Tips from Working Moms on Managing Child Care

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, we’re not talking about the holiday season, but rather the back-to-school season! For many working moms who struggled to cover child care over the summer, sending the kids back to school can be a welcome sigh of relief. But even if you have kid care covered during school hours, you may still have to scramble to cover child care for after school hours or if your little ones are too small to be in school yet.

Here are five tips from working moms themselves on how to manage child care—and how to control the back-to-school chaos.

Determine your needs.
No two working mom’s child-care needs are alike. Some may need full-time coverage, while others just need someone to watch their child a few hours sprinkled throughout the week. So go over your schedule as well as your partner’s to decide exactly how much kid care coverage you actually need. By being very specific in determining your needs, you can potentially save yourself a lot of money—and frustration—in the long run.

Find child care that works for you.
Not all child care is created equal. Depending on your child’s age, you may discover that certain types of child care work better for you and your family than others. For example, if you have a baby, you may opt to have an in-home nanny stay with you while you work to avoid exposing your little one to icky germs. As your child gets older, socialization may be what you’re seeking, so you may want to enroll your child in a local day care. And if your kid is school-aged, a part-time sitter may do the trick to cover those extra hours until you’re done working for the day.

Score a flexible schedule.
If you thought working from home meant that you’d never, ever need child-care coverage again, well, think again. Having a flexible schedule does mean that you can creatively cover child care more easily than your in-office colleagues, though. You may find a telecommuting position that allows you to work around your children’s schedules (i.e., early in the morning or late at night) or right smack in the middle of the day—when kids are in school. Other work-at-home-moms (WAHMs) may find that doing a kid swap on certain days helps to take care of child-care coverage issues without costing a pretty penny.

Once you’ve got child-care coverage established, it’s time to start planning how you’ll prep for getting kids ready for back to school.

Do a run through.
If it’s possible, see if you can attend a tour of your child’s school. Point out the different rooms (such as Art or Language Arts) that your child will be going to. If your kid will be going on the bus, you can drive him along the bus route so he can get used to the ride. That way, the new school year won’t seem as scary.

Prepare ahead of time.
Nothing adds to the stress of a back-to-school morning like leaving everything for the morning! So try to get as much done as you can in the days prior and even the night before. Have outfits ironed and ready to wear, and pack lunches and store in the refrigerator. By having most of the prep work done prior, you’ll minimize the stressfulness of the morning and have both you and your kid calm and ready for a fun school year!

Jennifer Parris is a Career Writer for FlexJobs, an award-winning service that helps job-seekers find professional opportunities that offer work flexibility, such as telecommuting, freelance, part-time or alternative schedules. To learn more about Jennifer, visit FlexJobs.com or tweet @flexjobs.

Looking for a babysitter or nanny? Join UrbanSitter to browse profiles, sort by pay rate, and book jobs online.

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12 Tips for Fantastic Family Photos

Whether you’re the family photographer or you plan to hire a professional to capture your kids or the entire family, you’ll want to check out these helpful tips for getting incredible photos that you’ll cherish for years to come. Improve your chances of getting the shots you want with these effective tips that help you plan ahead, prepare your kids, and assist your photographer.

1. Let kids be kids. One of the hardest parts of getting a great family photo is getting the kids to cooperate, especially if there are little kids in the bunch. Rather than stressing over getting them to sit still and smile at the camera, let them be themselves – laughing, wiggling, poking at the baby or hanging on your leg. You might not get the perfect, posed photo you thought you wanted, but you’ll get one that truly speaks to who you are as a family.

2. Capture the time of your life. This goes along with letting kids be kids. It’s helpful and really effective to choose a tone and feeling for a photo based on the stage of your life. If you have a newborn, consider a close-up, quiet photo that captures emotion as much as it does tiny fingers and toes. If you have toddlers and your everyday life is a constant whirl of activity and silliness, why not go for a shot that’ll help you remember the wild and silly days?

3. Be original. Rather than pose the family in front of the fireplace or on the steps in front of your house, find something really unique, such as an amazing silhouette shot that captures the family’s similarities and differences and shows how they all fit together.

4. Bring everyone close together. Having everyone posed close and tight together gives the photo an affectionate feel. Professionals often overlap family members or siblings to show a loving family. Interestingly, they also often group a family on the side or corner of the photo’s frame for a more interesting photo than the dead center shot.

5. Stay indoors with tiny babies. Outdoor photos are wonderful, thanks to the natural light and surroundings that make for pretty backdrops. However, new babies are better captured up close and without several layers to keep them warm.

6. Consider creating photos that will make for fun, unique holiday cards. Snapfish suggests out-of-the-box ideas for fun holiday cards, including shots of school pageants, family vacation photos, action shots of kid sporting events, and family reunions. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the photo for your holiday card taken care of, well before Halloween!?

7. Consider how traditional you are or aren’t. If you’re a traditional family, go for matching or coordinated outfits. Otherwise, let everyone express their style (and age) with colors in the same color family with a matching accent color.

8. Consider black and white. Black and white photos are timeless and take care of the worry over coordinated clothes. They can look crisp and contemporary, classic and sophisticated. They won’t, however, capture the steel blue eyes of a newborn or the baby blond hair that may change as she gets older.

9. Consider how you’ll display photos. If you plan to hang the photos in your home– maybe as a gallery wall collage – think about the colors in your home and choose clothes to coordinate, or at least not clash.

10. Plan around naps. Attempting to photograph a tired, cranky child is no fun. If you’re shooting indoors, choose a time that works with the nap schedule. Outdoor lighting is best during the hours near sunrise and sunset, so if the photo will be taken outside, consider adjusting your child’s schedule accordingly.

11. Bring a well-stocked diaper or tote bag and an extra set of hands. To keep kids happy, bring a few mess-free snacks and drinks and a favorite toy or lovie. Make sure they get plenty of breaks to eat, drink, burn energy and blow off steam. You might also want to bring along a helpful grandparent or sitter to help you pose more than one child and keep everyone focused and happy. Treats or rewards for cooperation and good behavior won’t hurt, either!

12. Do your prep work on Pinterest. Pinterest is chock full of awesome photos of babies, kids, couples and families. Poke around for photos that appeal to you, considering the tone and emotion of the photos, poses, setting, colors and clothes. Don’t forget to check out our board Photographing Babies and Kids to see our favorites!

Send us your favorite family shots! We’d love to see them.

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18 Ways to Volunteer Outside of the Classroom

Finding time to volunteer in your child’s school or classroom can be tough, especially for working parents and those who are home with infants and small children. Rather than wreak havoc on your schedule by attempting to squeeze in classroom visits or hiding from the Room Parent who’s looking for volunteers, opt for a way to help on your own time. There are many ways you can help from home, contributing and making a difference just as much, if not more, than you would be if you were in the classroom.

Here are ideas for lending a hand outside of the classroom:

Volunteer to update the classroom blog, website or social media
Offer to help with projects that you can take home, just such as cutting, pasting, assembling booklets, or copying materials
Help make decorations for the classroom bulletin boards or parties
Organize and head a campus Clean Up Day
Bake or buy treats to send in for a class party
Help at weekend event, such as a School Carnival
Make a digital flier for a class project
Recruit parents and coordinate volunteers for events and field trips
Handle Scholastic Book ordering for the class
Find out what supplies the teacher needs and collect from parents or purchase them (don’t forget to submit receipts for reimbursement)
Make phone calls or send emails to coordinate field trips or speaker visits
Create a Walking School Bus by coordinating with families to walk by and pick up kids who want to walk to school with a parent-led group
Collect funds and purchase teacher appreciate gifts, including gifts for the holidays, teacher’s birthday and Teacher Appreciate Week
Make play dough
Wash dress up center or dramatic play clothes and art smocks
Make a scrapbook for the year
Organize a food or clothing drive to help a less fortunate school
Conduct research for the teacher, such as finding a craft on Pinterest to coincide with a topic or unit

There are so many ways to share your time and talents to support your child’s teacher and school. For the times when you’d really like to be in the classroom or chaperone a field trip, call on UrbanSitter for childcare back up for little ones at home.

holidays school volunteering

How to be an Awesome Room Parent

You’ve signed on as room parent for your child’s class. Huge props to you! Your willingness to take on added responsibility is admirable and your mad organizational skills appreciated. As a classroom parent, you’re charged with serving as the main source of communication between your child’s teacher and all of the parents in the class.

Your duties likely include keeping everyone informed and up to date on class news and events, coordinating class parties, collecting money for teacher gifts, and recruiting volunteers to help meet the teacher’s needs. It’s a big responsibility, but you can do a stellar job and keep it manageable by following these helpful tips.

Don’t go it alone. Rather than handle it all, recruit another parent as a co-room parent and split the duties. One of you can handle email communication and calendar updates, and the other coordinate parties, field trips and events. Having a partner will keep you from becoming overwhelmed with ongoing tasks.

Have a sit down meeting with the teacher to synch expectations. This is your chance to understand the needs and responsibilities of the job, get a list of events for the calendar, obtain a class contact sheet and agree on how you and the teacher will communicate. Ask about any allergies or special needs in the class that you need to be aware of. Also get a sense of her style and ask about her favorites and preferences so you’ll be ready to choose the class gift.

Go digital. Keep an updated class calendar, whether it be on the classroom blog, school website or a site such as Shutterfly. Also make use of volunteering services like Volunteer Spot for communication. The sites will keep everything up to date and allow you to recruit volunteers, request things like extra supplies or snacks, and collect money for field trips and group gifts without sending countless emails. Using these services also helps to eliminate the dreaded Reply-All communication strings.

Help families get to know each other. One of the nicest things you can do for your child’s class is to help their families build relationships with each other. Sometime at the beginning of the year, long before holiday chaos consumes us all, send a welcome letter and schedule an informal meet and greet. There’s no party planning involved. Simply invite whoever is interested and available to meet somewhere local for coffee after school drop-off or for drinks one evening. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know your child’s friends’ parents, put faces to names, and compare notes on how the year is shaping up. You may end up finding a new carpool buddy, and you’ll certainly improve your chances of recruiting volunteers later in the year.

Make it a family affair. Involve the kids and your spouse by sharing duties. Your child will get an up close view of what you are doing for his classroom, and come to appreciate the work that goes into having a well organized and fun filled school year. It’ll also help take a lot of work off your to-do list.

With a little planning and upfront work, you can take the stress out of your duty as room parent and turn the experience into a rewarding opportunity for you to contribute to your child’s education and build lasting relationships with other families in the school. Congrats to you for stepping up to the job!

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Thoughtful Gifts for New Moms

Nothing says you care quite as much as bringing delicious food to someone in need. Whether it’s a new mom, a mom-to-be on bed rest, a sick friend or even a new neighbor, anyone going through a transitional or stressful time will appreciate not having to prepare a meal for her family.

However, as much as we all like to lend a helping hand by bringing a meal or a special treat to eat, it can be tough for busy parents to make it happen. Here are 8 unique ideas for bringing nourishing food to a family in need, none of which require much, if any, time in the kitchen.

Sandwich tray. A deli tray with assorted cold cuts, cheeses, breads and toppings, such as sliced tomatoes, lettuce leaves and a jar of pickles is fail-safe. The nice thing about a deli tray is that it provides a simple, light, serve-yourself meal, and will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. It’s nice to know there’s something in the refrigerator to quickly throw together a meal for your family or company dropping in any time of day.

Breakfast spread. Pick up fresh bagels, a loaf of cinnamon bread, an artisanal or homemade jam, juice and seasonal fruit. It’s extra nice if you turn the fruit into a fruit salad or simply slice it, so there’s nothing to prep. Throw in a gallon of milk and you might just save her a trip to the store this week.

Lunchbox duty. A mom of school-age kids would flip for someone to make a week’s worth of lunches for her kids to take to school. Check out our Awesome Lunchbox Ideas Pinterest board for unique ideas that kids will love.

Basket of fresh produce. A mom receiving meals from friends is likely up to her eyeballs in lasagnas and other heavy dishes. It’s likely she’ll appreciate a bounty of fresh produce to feed her family. Make a stop at your local farmer’s market and load up a pretty basket with yummy, seasonal finds that can be eaten with little or no prep.

A meal fit for a king. A holiday-worthy ham (ready to eat) and delivered with a bag of crusty rolls and some mayo and mustard for serving.

Donuts for dad. The spouse of a woman on bed rest or recovering from a recent birth, is working double duty. Show him you care by dropping off donuts, muffins, or fresh pastries, along with a to-go container of coffee and juice for him and his colleagues.

Homemade cookie dough. Ingenious idea – make a batch of your favorite cookie dough, drop scoops of it on a cookie sheet and freeze. The lucky recipient can bake them for a nice treat for her kids with minimal effort.

Fresh salads. When we think of bringing someone a meal, we think of a casserole, hearty stew and baked dish. How about fresh salads? Simple Bites provides lots of great recipes for fresh salads in a jar. The salads can be dressed, shaken and eaten at any time, which makes them perfect for a quick lunch or side at dinner.

No matter what you bring your friend in need, she’ll appreciate that you took the time to think of her and made an effort to lighten her load. Perhaps a break from the kids would make for a nice treat, too. Pick up an UrbanSitter gift card to go along with your bounty of good food!

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Tag: holidays

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